#### 1.1.2 File, directory, and path names

This section describes naming conventions that apply to all the resources in your conversion project.

No spaces or punctuation in file or path names

Files referenced by your DITA document, or by configuration settings, should have names and paths that conform to the following guidelines:

- Preferably no spaces in file or path names.
- Only alphanumeric characters in file or path names (even underscores can cause problems on some systems).
- Maximum 256 characters in a file name, 1,024 characters in a path name (Windows limits).
- At most one period in a file or path name.

DITA2Go is not the problem!

Although DITA2Go supports file and path names that include underscores and spaces, the output type you choose, or the target operating system where your output will be deployed, might not. For example, Microsoft acknowledges a known defect in HTML Help when you use underscores in file names. Some flavors of UNIX do not like underscores, either. In the interest of compatibility, we advise against file names that are not strictly alphanumeric.

Single period followed by extension

Use only one period in a path or file name, followed by the correct extension for the type of file. Many Windows programs break because this tiny character is misused. It is best not to challenge the easily confused software on your computer.

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Parent Topic: 1.1 What you need to know

Sibling Topics:

1.1.1 How DITA2Go is organized

1.1.3 Output types you can specify

1.1.4 Languages and character sets